Controlled cooling of a data center

ABSTRACT

A device for sensing at least one environmental condition in a data center. The device includes a chassis, a propelling mechanism, a power supply, a steering mechanism, and a controller supported on the chassis. The chassis also supports at least one environmental condition sensor and is operable to travel through the data center and sense at least one environmental condition at various locations throughout the data center.

CROSS-REFERENCE

The present invention is related to pending U.S. application Ser. No.09/970,707, filed Oct. 5, 2001, and entitled “SMART COOLING OF DATACENTERS”, by Patel et al., which is assigned to the assignee of thepresent invention and is incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to cooling systems. More particularly,the invention pertains to a system for delivering controlled cooling ina data center.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A data center may be defined as a location, e.g., room, that housescomputer systems arranged in a number of racks. A standard rack may bedefined as an Electronics Industry Association (EIA) enclosure, 78 in.(2 meters) wide, 24 in. (0.61 meter) wide and 30 in. (0.76 meter) deep.Standard racks may be configured to house a number of computer systems,e.g., about forty (40) systems, with future configurations of racksbeing designed to accommodate up to eighty (80) systems. The computersystems typically include a number of components, e.g., one or more of aPCB, mass storage devices, power supplies, processors,micro-controllers, semi-conductor devices, and the like, that maydissipate relatively significant amounts of heat during the operation ofthe respective components. For example, a typical computer systemcomprising multiple microprocessors may dissipate approximately 250 W ofpower. Thus, a rack containing forty (40) computer systems of this typemay dissipate approximately 10 KW of power.

The power required to transfer the heat dissipated by the components inthe racks to the cool air contained in the data center is generallyequal to about 10 percent of the power needed to operate the components.However, the power required to remove the heat dissipated by a pluralityof racks in a data center is generally equal to about 50 percent of thepower needed to operate the components in the racks. The disparity inthe amount of power required to dissipate the various heat loads betweenracks and data centers stems from, for example, the additionalthermodynamic work needed in the data center to cool the air. In onerespect, racks are typically cooled with fans that operate to movecooling fluid, e.g., air, refrigerant, etc., across the heat dissipatingcomponents; whereas, data centers often implement reverse power cyclesto cool heated return air. The additional work required to achieve thetemperature reduction, in addition to the work associated with movingthe cooling fluid in the data center and the condenser, often add up tothe 50 percent power requirement. As such, the cooling of data centerspresents problems in addition to those faced with the cooling of theracks.

Conventional data centers are typically cooled by operation of one ormore air conditioning units. The compressors of the air conditioningunits typically require a minimum of about thirty (30) percent of therequired operating energy to sufficiently cool the data centers. Theother components, e.g., condensers, air movers (fans), etc., typicallyrequire an additional twenty (20) percent of the required coolingcapacity. As an example, a high density data center with 100 racks, eachrack having a maximum power dissipation of 10 KW, generally requires 1MW of cooling capacity. Air conditioning units with a capacity of 1 MWof heat removal generally requires a minimum of 300 KW input compressorpower in addition to the power needed to drive the air moving devices,e.g., fans, blowers, etc. Conventional data center air conditioningunits do not vary their cooling fluid output based on the distributedneeds of the data center. Instead, these air conditioning unitsgenerally operate at or near a maximum compressor power even when theheat load is reduced inside the data center.

The substantially continuous operation of the air conditioning units isgenerally designed to operate according to a worst-case scenario. Thatis, cooling fluid is supplied to the components at around 100 percent ofthe estimated cooling requirement. In this respect, conventional coolingsystems often attempt to cool components that may not be operating at alevel which may cause its temperature to exceed a predeterminedtemperature range. Consequently, conventional cooling systems oftenincur greater amounts of operating expenses than may be necessary tosufficiently cool the heat generating components contained in the racksof data centers.

Another problem associated with the cooling of data centers involves theexpense and difficulty in measuring the environmental conditions, e.g.,temperature, humidity, air flow, etc., within and around the racks.Although it has been found that the use of temperature sensors, e.g.,thermocouples, located at various locations throughout the data centerhas been a relatively accurate manner of detecting temperatures, thispractice has also been found to be relatively restrictive due to thedifficulty and costs associated with this implementation. By way ofexample, the number of sensors required to detect the environmentalconditions throughout the data center may require that a substantiallyinordinate number of sensors be implemented.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one embodiment, the present invention pertains to a devicehaving means for propelling, means for navigating, means for controllingthe propelling means and the navigating means to move said device tosense at least one environmental condition, and means for transmittingthe at least one environmental condition sensed by the sensing means.

According to another embodiment, the invention relates to a device forsensing at least one environmental condition in a data center. Thedevice includes a chassis, a propelling mechanism, a power supply, asteering mechanism, and a controller supported on the chassis. Thechassis also supports at least one environmental condition sensor and isoperable to travel through the data center and sense at least oneenvironmental condition at various locations throughout the data center.

According to yet another embodiment, the present invention pertains to asystem for cooling components in a data center. The system includes anenvironmental condition sensing device configured to travel through thedata center. The system also includes a cooling device for supplyingcooling fluid to the components. The cooling device includes a variableoutput fan, a plenum having an inlet and a plurality of outlets. Theinlet of the plenum is in fluid communication with the fan and theplurality of outlets are in fluid communication with a plurality ofvents for delivering the cooling fluid to the components. The vents areoperable to vary a characteristic of the cooling fluid delivered througheach of the vents in response to environmental data transmitted from theenvironmental condition sensing device.

According to yet another embodiment, the present invention relates to amethod for operating a device to detect at least one environmentalcondition in a data center. In the method, a route is plotted for thedevice and the device is maneuvered along the route. In addition, atleast one environmental condition is detected in the data center by thedevice.

According to a further embodiment, the invention pertains to a method ofcooling a plurality of components in a data center. In the method, acooling system is activated and a plurality of vents are opened. Each ofthe plurality of vents is configured to supply cooling fluid to at leastone of the plurality of components. The temperatures in areas around theplurality of components are sensed and temperatures from a movabledevice configured to detect at least one environmental condition atvarious locations of the data center are received. In addition, it isdetermined whether at least one of the sensed temperatures and thereceived temperatures are within a predetermined temperature range.Moreover, at least one of the supply of the cooling fluid to thecomponents and the temperature of the cooling fluid is controlled inresponse to at least one of the sensed and received temperatures beingoutside of the predetermined temperature range.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features of the present invention will become apparent to those skilledin the art from the following description with reference to the figures,in which:

FIG. 1A shows a simplified schematic side plan view of a deviceaccording to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 1B is a simplified schematic side plan view of an exemplary deviceand a sectional view of a data center according to another embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 1C is a simplified top plan view of a data center having aplurality of racks in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an exemplary block diagram for a device according to anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 shows a simplified schematic illustration of a data centercontaining a cooling system according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4A illustrates an exemplary block diagram for a cooling systemaccording to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4B illustrates an exemplary block diagram for a cooling systemaccording to another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary flow diagram according to an embodiment of theinvention;

FIGS. 6A-6B, collectively, illustrate an exemplary flow diagramaccording to another embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 7A-7B, collectively, illustrate an exemplary flow diagramaccording to yet another embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 8 shows a simplified schematic illustration of the data centerillustrated in FIG. 3 containing a cooling system in accordance with analternate embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

For simplicity and illustrative purposes, the principles of the presentinvention are described by referring mainly to an exemplary embodimentthereof. In the following description, numerous specific details are setforth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the presentinvention. It will be apparent however, to one of ordinary skill in theart, that the present invention may be practiced without limitation tothese specific details. In other instances, well known methods andstructure have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarilyobscure the present invention.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a cooling systemmay be configured to adjust cooling fluid, e.g., air, gas, refrigerant,etc., flow to various racks located throughout a data center, e.g.,location that houses numerous printed circuit (PC) board electronicsystems arranged in a number of racks, based upon the detected oranticipated temperatures at various locations throughout the datacenter. In addition, the cooling system may be configured to vary thetemperature of the cooling fluid supply.

It should be understood that any reasonably suitable type of coolingsystem designed to circulate cooling fluid throughout a room may beimplemented in accordance with the above-described embodiment. Somesuitable cooling systems may include those that implement airconditioners, heat exchangers, heat pumps, and the like.

In one respect, by substantially increasing the cooling fluid flow tothose racks dissipating greater amounts of heat and by substantiallydecreasing the cooling fluid flow to those racks dissipating lesseramounts of heat. In addition to adjusting the temperature of the coolingfluid supply, the amount of energy required to operate the coolingsystem may be relatively reduced. Thus, instead of operating thedevices, e.g., compressors, heat exchangers, fans, etc., of the coolingsystem at substantially 100 percent of the anticipated heat dissipationfrom the racks, those devices may be operated according to the actualcooling needs. In addition, the racks may be positioned throughout thedata center according to their anticipated heat loads to thereby enablecomputer room air conditioning (CRAC) units located at various positionsthroughout the data center to operate in a more efficient manner.

In another respect, the positioning of the racks may be determinedthrough implementation of numerical modeling and metrology of thecooling fluid flow throughout the data center. In addition, thenumerical modeling may be implemented to determine the volume flow rateand velocity of the cooling fluid flow through each of the vents.

A more detailed description of the above-described embodiment may befound in co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 09/970,707, filed Oct. 5,2001, which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention and isincorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

According to another embodiment of the invention, a device isimplemented to gather or measure at least one local environmentalcondition (e.g., temperature, air flow, humidity, etc.) in the datacenter. More particularly, the device is configured to travel around theracks to determine the one or more environmental conditions at variouslocations throughout the data center. In addition, the device may beconfigured to detect the one or more environmental conditions at variousheights throughout the data center. The information gathered by thedevice may be transmitted to a data center controller. The data centercontroller may vary the delivery and temperature of cooling fluidaccording to the one or more detected environmental conditions. In thisrespect, the energy necessary to cool the racks and the componentscontained therein, may substantially be optimized.

FIG. 1A shows a simplified schematic side plan view of a device 10according to an embodiment of the invention. The device 10 includes achassis 12 configured to support a device controller 14, a plurality ofsensors 16, and a guidance sensor 18. The chassis 12 may also support apropelling mechanism 20, e.g., a direct current (DC) motor, analternating current (AC) motor, or the like, and a transmissionmechanism 22 designed to transmit power created by the propellingmechanism 20 to at least one wheel 24 through shaft(s) 26. The chassis12 may further support two or more wheels 24, 28 through respectiveshafts 26, 30. The two or more wheels 24 and 28 may be configured torotate upon receipt of instructions by the device controller 14 tothereby propel the device 10. In addition, a motor (not shown) may beoperable to cause at least one of the shafts 26 and 30 to rotate tothereby vary the direction of device 10 travel.

The guidance sensor 18 may comprise any reasonably suitable apparatusoperable to detect the location and distance of objects relative to theguidance sensor 18. Suitable apparatus may include optical sensors(e.g., laser systems), acoustic sensors (e.g., sonar systems), and likesensors. The guidance sensor 18 may be implemented to enable the device10 to travel through a data center without substantial interference. Inthis respect, the guidance sensor 18 may send signals to the devicecontroller 14 to control the direction and speed of travel of the device10 through the data center.

A power supply 32 may also be provided on the chassis 12. The powersupply 32 may be configured to deliver power to operate the propellingmechanism 20 to thereby enable the device 10 to travel through the datacenter. The power supply 32 may comprise a rechargeable and/orreplaceable battery. Alternatively, the propelling mechanism 20 may bepowered through an AC connection, e.g., through a track located alongthe device's 10 route.

The sensors 16 may be attached to a pole 34 that extends generallyperpendicularly from a main plane of the chassis 12. The pole 34 mayextend to any reasonably suitable height to enable the measurement ofthe one or more conditions at various heights with respect to the rackscontained in a data center (e.g., between about 2.5-6.5 feet). The pole34 may be attached to the chassis 12 through a pole base 36 in anyreasonably suitable manner, e.g., welds, mechanical fasteners, adhesive,and the like. The pole base 36 may provide both structural support forthe pole 34 and a means for enabling communications between the sensors16 and the device controller 14. By way of example, the pole base 36 mayfunction as a conduit enabling data related to the one or moreconditions detected by the sensors 16 to be relayed to the devicecontroller 14.

The pole 34 may be telescopic to extend to various heights and measurethe one or more environmental conditions at various locations. The pole34 may also be configured to retract, for example, when the device 10 isin an idle state. In addition, the pole 34 may be attached to thechassis 12 through a movable joint that enables the pole 34 to rotate orobtain various angles with respect to the chassis 12. Moreover, the pole34 may be deployed from the chassis 12 such that it extends generallyhorizontally or at various angles. In this respect, a relatively fewernumber of sensors 16 may be required to adequately detect the one ormore environmental conditions at various locations throughout a datacenter.

Each of the sensors 16 may be positioned along the pole 34 to detectvarious environmental conditions at various heights. In this respect,the sensors 16 may comprise temperature sensors, air flow sensors,humidity sensors, and the like. In addition, the sensors 16 may beconfigured to detect combinations of these environmental conditions.Hence, some of the sensors 16 may detect temperature, whereas certainothers of the sensors 16 may detect air flow. An air flow sensorgenerally refers to a sensor designed to detect the direction andmagnitude of air flow around the sensor. It should be understood thatany reasonably suitable commercially available sensors may beimplemented with the device 10. It should also be understood that thedevice 10 may include a single sensor 16 configured to detect one ormore environmental conditions without departing from the scope of theinvention.

The data related to the detected environmental conditions by the sensors16 may be relayed to a data logging device 40, which may also besupported by the chassis 12. The data logging device 40 may comprise anyreasonably suitable data receiving and transmitting device, e.g., alaptop computer having a remote transmission means. In this regard, thedata logging device 40 may be configured to run a program to process theenvironmental conditions. The processed environmental conditions maythen be relayed to a data center controller (not shown). The datalogging device 40 may also evaluate the data to determine, for example,whether a detected hot spot is local or zonal. By way of example, thedevice 10 may travel through a data center and collect data pertainingto the temperature of the cooling fluid at locations along its path. Thecollected data may be processed and evaluated by the data logging device40 to determine whether the delivery of cooling fluid should beincreased, sustained, or decreased at various locations of the datacenter. This information may then be transmitted to the data centercontroller.

In addition, the data logging device 40 may transmit informationpertaining to how and to what degree the cooling fluid delivery shouldbe varied to the data center controller such that the cooling fluid flowto the desired areas may be varied. In this respect, the data loggingdevice 40 may also determine the manner in which the cooling fluiddelivery should be varied (e.g., one or more of fluid flow direction andmagnitude around respective racks and/or the cooling fluid temperature).By way of example, the data logging device 40 may determine how thefluid flow through a specific vent should be actuated and transmit thisinformation to the data center controller. The data center controllermay then utilize this information to actuate the vent.

It should be understood that the functions of the data logging device 40and the device controller 14 may be implemented by a single controlapparatus without departing from the scope of the invention.

Alternatively, the data collected by the sensors 16 and stored in thedata logging device 40 may be relayed to the data center controllerprior to processing of the data. In this instance, the data centercontroller may process and evaluate the data received from the datalogging device 40.

The device controller 14 may comprise a computer configured to controlthe operations of the device 10. The device controller 14 may thuscomprise a memory (not shown) and a processor (not shown). The memorymay contain one or more algorithms configured to control the motion ofthe vehicle, e.g., direction, velocity, route, etc., which the processormay access in controlling the vehicle's motion. In addition, theprocessor may receive input from the guidance sensor 18. A more detaileddescription of the manner in which the device controller 14 may operateis provided hereinbelow with respect to FIG. 2.

It should be understood that the device 10 may include additionalcomponents and that some of the above-described components may beremoved and/or modified without departing from the scope and spirit ofthe invention.

FIG. 1B is a simplified schematic side plan view of a device 50 and asectional view of a data center 100 according to another embodiment ofthe invention. According to this embodiment, the device 50 may besuspended on the ceiling (C) above the floor (F) of a data center 100.In this respect, the device 50 may maneuver between the racks (R)without substantial interference from debris and other objects that maybe present on the floor (F).

The device 50 generally includes a chassis 52 configured to support aplurality of sensors 54 and a drive mechanism. The drive mechanismincludes a device controller 64, at least two wheels 56, and apropelling mechanism 58 (e.g., a DC motor, an AC motor, or the like).The device controller 64 may comprise a computer, e.g., a processor, amemory, etc., configured to control the motion of the device 50. By wayof example, the memory may store one or more algorithms by which thedevice controller 64 may control the direction and speed of the device's50 travel. Although not illustrated in FIG. 1B, the device 50 mayinclude a guidance sensor configured to enable the device 50 to avoidobstacles that may be present along its path of travel.

The propelling mechanism 58 may be connected to an axle 60 designed tocause the wheels 56 to rotate. The wheels 56 may be supported on a pairof tracks 62 that may comprise generally L-shaped or C-shapedconfigurations. The tracks 62 may directly be connected to the ceiling(C). Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 1 B, the tracks 62 may beattached to pairs of cable trays 66. The cable trays 66 may extend overthe racks (R) and function as conduits for supplying communication andpower lines to each of the racks. Although the propelling mechanism 58is illustrated as being configured to rotate wheels 56, it should beunderstood that other reasonably suitable systems may be implemented tocause the device 50 to translate. For example, a belt or chain systemmay be attached to the device 50 with a motor positioned separately fromthe device 50.

In a similar fashion to that described hereinabove with respect to thesensors 16, the sensors 54 may sense environmental conditions around theracks (R). In this regard, the sensors 54 may comprise temperaturesensors, air flow sensors, humidity sensors, and the like. Additionally,the sensors 54 may communicate with a data-logging device (not shown)configured to store and transmit the sensed data to, for example, a datacenter controller (not shown). Moreover, the pole 70 upon which thesensors 54 are mounted may be maneuvered and manipulated in the mannersdescribed above with respect to the pole 34. A more detailed descriptionof the manner in which the sensed data may be stored and transmitted isprovided hereinbelow with respect to FIG. 2.

It should be understood that the device 50 may include additionalcomponents and that some of the above-described components may beremoved and/or modified without departing from the scope and spirit ofthe invention.

FIG. 1 C is a simplified top plan view of a data center 100 having aplurality of racks (R). Each of the racks (R) may comprise one or moreracks and each of the racks (R) may be separated from each other and thewalls of the data center 100 to create spaces 102 through which adevice, e.g., device 10, 50, may pass. Illustrated in the spaces 102 arelines 104 which indicate a path the device 10, 50 may travel. Asillustrated, the device 10, 50 may travel between each of the racks (R)or groups of racks (R) to detect one or more environmental conditionsexisting around the racks (R). Although the lines 104 are illustrated asbeing substantially equally spaced from the racks (R), it should beunderstood that the device 10, 50 may be configured to detect the one ormore environmental conditions at locations that are relatively nearer orfarther to the racks (R). This may be accomplished by either moving thedevice 10, 50 to a physically nearer or farther location, or it may beaccomplished by moving, e.g., extending, angling, and the like, the pole34, 70.

It should also be understood that any reasonably suitable number ofdevices 10, 50 may be implemented in the data center 100 to sense theenvironmental condition(s) around the one or more racks (R). In thisregard, if a plurality of devices, e.g., 10, are implemented, one ormore of the devices may operate simultaneously to thus detect theenvironmental condition(s) at more than one location. In addition, oneor more devices may operate while one or more other devices undergo acharging operation.

The lines 104 may also signify tracks along the floor of the data center100 upon which the device 10 (FIG. 1A) may travel. The tracks maycomprise, for example, rails into which the wheels 24 may be engaged tothereby limit and control the travel of the device 10. In addition, thetracks may provide a means for supplying power to the device 10 as wellas communications between the device 10 and a data center controller(not shown). Alternatively, the line 104 may comprise a signal line towhich the device 10 may either physically or remotely be attached. Inthis respect, the line 104 may signify, for example, a wire embedded inthe floor which the device 10, 50 may detect to determine its paththrough the data center 100.

The lines 104 may further signify the tracks 62 illustrated in FIG. 1B.The tracks 62 may be located throughout the data center 100 to enablethe device 50 to travel to various locations within the data center 100.In this respect, a plurality of junctions 106, 108 between the lines 104may be provided to enable the device 50 to travel to the variouslocations. Alternatively, a plurality of devices 50 may be provided totravel through respective passages 110, 112. In this respect, junctions106 and 108 may be unnecessary, as the devices 50 may only be requiredto travel through a single passage 110, 112.

The lines 104 may further function as power and communication lines forthe devices 10, 50. By way of example, although not specificallyillustrated in FIG. 1C, the devices 10, 50 may be operable to receivepower from a remote source through the lines 104. In addition, thedevices 10, 50 may be configured to receive and transmit data to aremote location (e.g., a remotely located computer, a data centercontroller, etc.). In this respect, the devices 10, 50 may be configuredwith a relatively small number of components to thereby relativelyreduce their weights. By virtue of this configuration, the amount ofpower required to maneuver the devices 10, 50 may be reduced.

Referring to FIG. 2, there is illustrated a block diagram 200 for adevice 202 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Itshould be understood that the following description of the block diagram200 is but one manner of a variety of different manners in which such adevice 202 may be operated. In addition, it should be understood thatthe device 202 may include additional components and that some of thecomponents described may be removed and/or modified without departingfrom the scope of the invention.

The device 202 includes a device controller 204 configured to controlthe device 202 operations. The device controller 204 may comprise amicroprocessor, a micro-controller, an application specific integratedcircuit (ASIC), and the like. The device controller 204 may, forexample, control the steering mechanism 206 and the propelling mechanism208 to manipulate the device 202. Interface electronics 210 may beprovided to act as an interface between the device controller 204 andthe steering mechanism 206 and the propelling mechanism 208, e.g.,control the degree of rotation of the shafts connected to the wheels,control the speed at which the wheels are rotated, etc. The devicecontroller 204 may further include a power supply 232 for supplyingpower for operation of the device 202 components.

The device controller 204 may be interfaced with a memory 212 configuredto provide storage of a computer software that provides thefunctionality of the device 202, e.g., steering mechanism 206 andpropelling mechanism 208, and may be executed by the device controller204. The memory 212 may be implemented as a combination of volatile andnon-volatile memory, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM),EEPROM, flash memory, and the like. The memory 212 may also beconfigured to provide a storage for containing data and/or informationpertaining to the manner in which device controller 204 may operate thesteering mechanism 206 and the propelling mechanism 208 in response to,for example, objects detected along its path by a guidance sensor 214(e.g., which may comprise any of the sensors described hereinabove withrespect to the guidance sensor 18). By way of example, the devicecontroller 204 may manipulate the steering mechanism 206 and thepropelling mechanism 208 to generally avoid objects along its path. Inaddition, the device controller 204 may operate to set an alternatecourse based upon the location of detected objects. The alternate coursemay be formulated based upon, for example, the shortest route betweenthe device's 202 current location and an intended destination.

The device controller 204 may be interfaced with a data logger 220configured to receive information from a plurality of sensors. As analternative, the device controller 204 and the data logger 220 may becomposed of a single computing apparatus that is capable of performingthe functions of both the device controller and the data logger 220. Asanother alternative, the data logger 220 may “stand-alone” with respectto the device controller 204. In this regard, the data logger mayoperate without direction or input from the device controller 204.

The data logger 220 may comprise any reasonably suitable data receivingand transmitting device, e.g., a laptop computer, a processor and amemory, and the like. The data logger 220 may be configured to transmitdata received from the plurality of sensors to a data center/ventcontroller 222. The data may be transmitted through implementation of anetwork adapter 224, e.g., an interface that enables communicationbetween the data logger 220 and the data center/vent controller 222. Thenetwork adapter 224 may enable at least one of a wired connection or awireless connection.

The network adapter 224 may also enable communication between the devicecontroller 204 and the data center/vent controller 222. In this respect,information from the data center/vent controller 222 may be transmittedto the device controller 204. By way of example, information related tothe location of detected hot spots may be transmitted to the devicecontroller 204. The communication between the data center/ventcontroller 222 and the device controller 204 may be effectuated by awired protocol, such as IEEE 802.3, etc., wireless protocols, such asIEEE 801.11b, wireless serial connection, Bluetooth, etc., orcombinations thereof.

The data logger 220 may be in communication with a plurality of sensors,e.g., temperature (T) sensors 226 a-226 n, air flow (AF) sensors 228a-228 n, and a humidity sensor 230. The sensors 226 a-226 n, 228 a-228 n230 may be located at various heights along a sense pole 34 asillustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B. In this respect, the sensors 226 a-226n, 228 a-228 n, and 230 may comprise the sensors 16, 54 illustrated inFIGS. 1A and 1B.

The sensors 226 a-226 n, 228 a-228 n, and 230 may be configured totransmit sensed information to the data logger 220. The data logger 220may compile the received information. For example, the data logger 220may maintain a database of the temperatures at various heights and atvarious locations within a data center. The data logger 220 may evaluatethe sensed information to determine a manner in which the cooling fluidsupplied to various areas of the data center should be manipulated(e.g., one or more of fluid flow direction and magnitude aroundrespective racks and/or the cooling fluid temperature). In this regard,the data logger 220 may determine the actuator settings, for example,for one or more of the vents. The data logger 220 may thus be capable ofperforming one or more evaluation routines to determine the actuatorsettings.

The evaluation routines may comprise a comparison of sensed informationwith information contained in a look up table (LUT) (not shown), simplecorrelations, probabilistic algorithms, genetic algorithms, and thelike. If a LUT is implemented, the LUT may contain informationindicating the manner in which certain vents may be manipulatedaccording to the sensed information. Thus, for example, if the datalogger 220 determines that the temperature in a relatively large area ofthe data center is above a predetermined temperature, the LUT mayindicate that the temperature of the cooling fluid supplied by thecooling system may require reduction.

The data logger 220 may then transmit the information pertaining to howthe one or more vents should be actuated to the data center/ventcontroller 222. The data center/vent controller 22 may then implementthe manipulations indicated by the data logger 220.

Alternatively, the information received by the data logger 220 may betransmitted to the data center/vent controller 222 prior to processingand evaluation thereof. In this instance, the data center/ventcontroller 222 may perform the above-described evaluation routines todetermine how the vents and/or cooling system should be manipulated inresponse to the sensed conditions. In addition, as describedhereinbelow, the data center controller 222 may control the flow ofcooling fluid to various locations throughout the data center accordingto the detected cooling needs.

As discussed in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/970,707,a cooling system is configured to adjust cooling fluid, e.g., air, gas,refrigerant, etc., flow to various racks located throughout a datacenter. In addition, the cooling system may also vary the temperature ofthe cooling fluid. In one respect, by substantially increasing thecooling fluid flow to those racks dissipating greater amounts of heatand by substantially decreasing the cooling fluid flow to those racksdissipating lesser amounts of heat, the amount of energy required tooperate the cooling system may be relatively reduced. Moreover, theenergy requirement may further be reduced by adjusting the cooling fluidtemperature. Thus, instead of operating the devices, e.g., compressors,heat exchangers, fans, etc., of the cooling system at substantially 100percent of the anticipated heat dissipation from the racks, thosedevices may be operated according to the detected cooling needs.

FIG. 3 shows a simplified schematic illustration of a data center 300containing a cooling system 302. The data center 300 includes a raisedfloor 314, with the space 316 located therebelow being designed to housea plurality of wires and communication lines (not shown). In addition,the space 316 may function as a plenum to deliver cooling fluid from thecooling system 302 to a plurality of racks 318 a-318 d. Although thedata center 300 is illustrated in FIG. 1 as containing four racks 318a-318 d and a cooling system 302, it should be understood that the datacenter 300 may include any number of racks, e.g., 100 racks, and coolingsystems, e.g., four or more.

The racks 318 a-318 d may generally house a plurality of components (notshown), e.g., processors, micro-controllers, memories, semi-conductordevices, and the like. The components may be elements of a plurality ofsubsystems (not shown), e.g., computers, servers, etc. The subsystemsand the components may be implemented to perform various electronic,e.g., computing, switching, routing, displaying, and the like,functions. In the performance of these electronic functions, thecomponents, and therefore the subsystems, may dissipate relatively largeamounts of heat. Because the racks 318 a-318 d have been generally knownto include upwards of forty (40) or more subsystems, they may requiresubstantially large amounts of cooling fluid to maintain the subsystemsand the components generally within a predetermined operatingtemperature range. According to an embodiment of the invention, bysubstantially controlling the amount of cooling fluid delivered to thecomponents and the subsystems located in the racks 318 a-318 d basedupon their respective heat loads, the power consumed by the coolingsystem 302 to supply the cooling fluid may also be controlled.

The cooling system 302 generally includes a fan 320 for supplyingcooling fluid into the space 316 (e.g., plenum). Air is supplied intothe fan 320 from the heated air in the data center 300 as indicated byarrows 322 and 324. In operation, the heated air enters into the coolingsystem 302 as indicated by arrow 322 and is cooled by operation of acooling coil 326, a compressor 328, and a condenser 330, in anyreasonably suitable manner generally known to those of ordinary skill inthe art. In addition, based upon the cooling fluid needed by the heatloads in the racks 318 a-318 d, the cooling system 302 may be operatedat various levels. For example, the capacity (e.g., the amount of workexerted on the refrigerant) of the compressor 328 and the speed of thefan 320 may both be modified to thereby control the temperature and theamount of cooling fluid flow delivered to the racks 318 a-318 d. In thisrespect, the compressor 328 may be a variable capacity compressor andthe fan 320 may be a variable speed fan. The compressor 328 may thus becontrolled to either increase or decrease the mass flow rate of arefrigerant therethrough. Because the specific type of compressor 328and fan 320 to be employed with embodiments of the invention may varyaccording to individual needs, the invention is not limited to anyspecific type of compressor or fan. Instead, any reasonably suitabletype of compressor 328 and fan 320 that are capable of accomplishingcertain aspects of the invention may be employed with the embodiments ofthe invention. The choice of compressor 328 and fan 320 may depend upona plurality of factors, e.g., cooling requirements, costs, operatingexpenses, etc.

As an alternative to the compressor 328 illustrated in FIG. 3, a heatexchanger (not shown) may be implemented in the cooling system 302 tocool the fluid supply. The heat exchanger may comprise a chilled waterheat exchanger, a centrifugal chiller (e.g., a chiller manufactured byYORK), and the like, that generally operates to cool air as it passesthereover. The heat exchanger may comprise a plurality of airconditioning units. The air condition units may be supplied with waterdriven by a pump and cooled by a condenser or a cooling tower. The heatexchanger capacity may be varied based upon heat dissipation demands.Thus, the heat exchanger capacity may be decreased where, for example,it is unnecessary to maintain the cooling fluid at a relatively lowtemperature.

It should be understood that the data center 300 illustrated in FIG. 3may contain a plurality of cooling systems 302. By way of example, arelatively large data center may comprise three or more cooling systems302 positioned at various locations around the data center. It shouldalso be understood that the cooling systems may comprise at least one ofa compressor 328 and a heat exchanger.

The cooling fluid generally flows from the fan 320 and into the space316 (e.g., plenum) as indicated by the arrow 332. The cooling fluidflows out of the raised floor 314 through a plurality of dynamicallycontrollable vents 334 a-334 c that generally operate to control thevelocity and the volume flow rate of the cooling fluid therethrough. Inone respect, the velocity and the volume flow rate of the cooling fluidmay be regulated by varying the shape and/or opening size of the vents334 a-334 c. Thus, the racks 318 a-318 d may receive substantiallyindividualized and localized amounts of cooling fluid according to theirheat loads. The arrows 336 indicate the general direction of travel ofthe cooling fluid and the dashed arrows 338 indicate the generaldirection of travel of fluid heated by the heat dissipating componentslocated within the racks 318 a-318 d. As may be seen in FIG. 3, theareas between the racks 318 a-318 d may comprise either cool aisles 340or hot aisles 342, or a combination thereof. The cool aisles 340 arethose aisles that include the vents 336 a-336 c and thus receive coolingfluid for delivery to the racks 318 a-318 d. The hot aisles 342 arethose aisles that receive air heated by the heat dissipating componentsin the racks 318 a-318 d.

In addition, various sections of each of the racks 318 a-318 d may alsoreceive substantially individualized amounts of cooling fluid. By way ofexample, if the bottom halves of the racks 318 a and 318 b are operatingat maximum power, thereby dissipating a maximum level of heat load, andthe upper halves are operating at little or no power, the vent 334 c maybe configured to enable cooling fluid flow therethrough to have arelatively high volume flow rate with a relatively low velocity. In thismanner, the cooling fluid may operate to generally supply greatercooling to the lower halves of the racks 318 a and 318 b, whereas theupper halves receive relatively lesser amounts of cooling fluid. Inaddition, if the upper halves of the racks 318 c and 318 d are operatingat approximately 50 percent of their maximum power, and the lower halvesare operating at little or no power, the vent 334 b may be configured toenable cooling fluid flow therethrough to have a relatively low volumeflow rate with a relatively high velocity. In this manner, the coolingfluid flow may have sufficient momentum to adequately reach and cool theupper halves of the racks 318 c and 318 d.

Moreover, as the cooling requirements vary according to the heat loadsin the racks 318 a-318 d, and the subsequent variations in the volumeflow rate of the cooling fluid, the cooling system 302 may also vary theamount of cooling fluid supplied to the racks. As an example, if theheat load in the racks 318 a-318 d generally increases, the coolingsystem 302 may operate to increase the supply and/or decrease thetemperature of the cooling fluid. Alternatively, if the heat load in theracks 318 a-318 d generally decreases, the cooling system 302 mayoperate to decrease the supply and/or increase the temperature of thecooling fluid. The vents 334 a-334 c thus generally provide localizedcontrol of the cooling fluid flow to the racks 318 a-318 d and thecooling system 302 generally provides global control of the coolingfluid flow and temperature. In one respect, therefore, the amount ofenergy consumed by the cooling system 302 in maintaining the racks 318a-318 d at within a predetermined temperature range may be substantiallyreduced in comparison with conventional data center cooling systems.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the cooling fluidsupply for flow through each of the vents 334 a-334 c may be maintainedat a relatively uniform pressure. In this respect, the space 316 mayinclude a divider 344. The divider 344 may extend substantially alongthe entire length of space 316, i.e., in the direction generallyperpendicular to the plane of FIG. 3. The divider 344 may also extendfrom the cooling system 312 to substantially the end of the space 316 tothus create a gap 346 between a side edge of the divider and a sidesurface of the space. The divider 344 generally divides the space 316into two relatively separate chambers 348 a and 348 b. The first chamber348 a is in fluid communication with the outlet of the fan 320. Thesecond chamber 348 b is in fluid communication with the first chamber348 b substantially through the gap 46. In this respect, the coolingfluid flow originating from the fan 320 must travel substantially theentire width of the space 316, i.e., through the first chamber 348 a,for the fluid flow to enter into the second chamber 348 b.

The cooling fluid in the second chamber 348 b may be maintained at asubstantially uniform static pressure by virtue of the manner in whichthe cooling fluid is introduced into the second chamber 348 b. The rateat which the cooling fluid is supplied into the first chamber 348 a bythe fan 320 may cause a relatively large amount of turbulence in thecooling fluid located in the first chamber 348 a. The turbulence isgenerally greatest at the outlet of the fan 320 and generally decreasesas the distance from the outlet increases. By virtue of the distance thecooling fluid must travel to enter into the second chamber 348 b, thecooling fluid may have substantially stabilized, thus enabling thecooling fluid entering into the second chamber 348 b to be relativelycalm. In this respect, the divider 344 operates to provide a relativelyconsistent cooling fluid pressure supply for the vents 334 a-334 c.

The pressure of the cooling fluid located in the second chamber 348 bmay be measured by a pressure sensor 350. In this respect, the pressuresensor 350 may detect any discernable changes in the pressure of thecooling fluid located within the second chamber 348 b and relay thatinformation to a data center controller (not shown). The data centercontroller may operate to alter the output of the fan 320 in response tothe detected changes in pressure. Therefore, operation of the fan 320may be related to the cooling requirements of the racks 318 a-318 d andthe amount of energy required to supply the racks 318 a-318 d withcooling fluid may be substantially optimized. In one respect, only thatamount of energy required to substantially cool the components containedin the racks 318 a-318 d may be expended, which may correlate to asubstantial energy savings over known cooling systems.

The capacity of the compressor 328 may vary according to changes in thetemperature of the cooling fluid located in the second chamber 348 b.Alternatively, if a heat exchanger is implemented in the cooling system302, the capacity of the heat exchanger may be varied. As such, a plenumtemperature sensor 352 may be located within the second chamber 348 b torelay temperature measurements to the cooling system 302. The plenumtemperature sensor 352 may comprise any reasonably suitable temperaturesensor known to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the compressor 328and/or heat exchanger may be operated to generally adjust thetemperature of the cooling fluid within the second chamber 348 b todesired levels. In addition, the capacity of the compressor 328 and/orheat exchanger may also vary according to detected and/or anticipatedchanges in heat loads generated in the racks 318 a-318 d. As an example,the compressor 328 and/or heat exchanger capacity may be increased asthe heat loads generated in the racks 318 a-318 d increase. In thisregard, the power required to operate the compressor 328 and/or heatexchanger may be substantially optimized, thereby reducing the totalpower required to operate the cooling system 302.

Referring to FIG. 4A, there is illustrated a block diagram 400 for acooling system 402 according to an embodiment of the invention. Thefollowing description of the block diagram 400 is one manner in whichthe cooling system 402 may be operated to cool a data center, e.g., datacenter 300 illustrated in FIG. 3. It should thus be understood that theblock diagram 400 may include additional components and that some of theabove-described components may be removed and/or modified withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the invention.

A vent controller 404 is generally configured to control the operationof the vents 406-410, e.g., vents 334 a-334 c illustrated in FIG. 3. Inthis regard, the vent controller 404 may comprise a microprocessor, amicro-controller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), orthe like. The manner in which the vent controller 404 operates the vents406-410, i.e., the flow of cooling fluid therethrough, may be predicatedupon the detected or anticipated temperatures of the racks, e.g., racks318 a-318 d, or portions thereof. For example, with regard to detectedtemperatures, a plurality of temperature sensors 412-416, e.g.,thermocouples, may be positioned at various positions around thesubsystems and/or the racks 318 a-318 d. Each of the temperature sensors412-416 may correspond to a respective one of the vents 406-410. By wayof example, one temperature sensor 412 may affect the flow of coolingfluid flow through one vent 406.

Alternatively, with regard to anticipated temperatures, anticipatedcooling requirements for each of the racks 318 a-318 d and/or varioussections of the racks may be predicated upon an impending load on theracks 318 a-318 d and/or sections of the racks. For example, the ventcontroller 404 may be connected to another controller, e.g., a centralcontroller for the subsystems, which anticipates the heat load thecomponents and/or the subsystems will dissipate. This information may berelayed to the vent controller 404 which may then manipulate the vents406-410 according to the anticipated load.

Although FIG. 4A illustrates three temperature sensors 412-416, itshould be understood that the number of temperature sensors is notcritical to the operation of the exemplary embodiment of the invention.Instead, the cooling system 402 may include any reasonably suitablenumber of temperature sensors to thus measure the temperatures of anyreasonably suitable number of racks 318 a-318 d or portions thereof. Thenumber of temperature sensors and the temperature measurements of thenumber of racks may be upgradable, e.g., scalable, to include anyadditional components and/or racks that may be included in the datacenter.

Vent interface electronics 418 may act as an interface between the ventcontroller 404 and the components, e.g., control the opening in thevents and the direction of cooling fluid flow through the vents, etc,for operating the vents 406-410.

The vent controller 404 may also be interfaced with a vent memory 420configured to provide storage of a computer software that provides thefunctionality of the cooling system and may be executed by the ventcontroller. The memory 420 may also be configured to provide a storagefor containing data/information pertaining to the manner in which eachof the vents 406-410 may be manipulated in response to the detectedand/or anticipated temperatures of the portions of the racks 318 a-318d.

In keeping with the example cited hereinabove, the vent controller 404may operate the vent 406 to increase the volume flow rate and decreasethe velocity of the cooling fluid flowing therethrough in response to adetected increase in the heat load of a lower portion of a correspondingrack. The memory 420 may be implemented as a combination of volatile andnon-volatile memory, such as DRAM, EEPROM, flash memory, and the like.

If there is an actual detected change or an anticipated change in thetemperature of the respective racks 318 a-318 d and/or portions thereof,the vent controller 404 may operate to manipulate the corresponding vent406-410 to compensate, i.e., changes the volume flow rate, velocity, andother similar characteristics of the cooling fluid, for the change intemperature. In this respect, each of the racks 318 a-318 d and/orportions thereof generally receives substantially only the amount ofcooling fluid necessary to maintain the temperature of the portions ofthe racks within a predetermined temperature range. In addition, thecooling fluid temperature may also be controlled as needed tosubstantially optimize cooling of the racks 318 a-318 d. As will be seenfrom the discussion hereinbelow, by controlling the cooling fluid flowin this manner, compressors 428 and/or heat exchangers, and fans 426 orvarious air conditioning units may be operated at substantiallyoptimized levels, thereby decreasing the amount of energy and thus theoperating costs required to operate these devices.

The vent controller 404 may be configured to relay data/informationpertaining to the flow of cooling fluid through the vents 406-410 to adata center controller 422. The data center controller 422 is generallyconfigured to control the operation of the cooling system 302, e.g., thecompressor 424 and/or heat exchanger, and the fan 426. In this regard,the controller 422 may comprise a microprocessor, a micro-controller,ASIC, and the like. In addition, the data center controller 422 may beconfigured to relay data/information to the vent controller 404 to varythe cooling fluid distribution through the vents 406-410.

Interface electronics 428 may be provided to act as an interface betweenthe data center controller 422 and the components for operating thecompressor 424 and the fan 426, e.g., the supply of voltage to vary therespective speeds of the compressor and the fan, direct control of thecompressor and the fan, control of the heat exchanger capacity, etc.

The data center controller 422 may also be interfaced with a memory 430configured to provide storage of a computer software that provides thefunctionality of the cooling system 302, e.g., compressor 424 (heatexchanger) and fan 426, and may be executed by the data centercontroller 422. The memory 430 may also be configured to provide astorage for containing data/information pertaining to the manner inwhich the compressor 424 (heat exchanger) and the fan 426 may bemanipulated in response to variations in the cooling fluid flow throughthe vents 406-410.

In keeping with the example cited hereinabove, the data centercontroller 422 may operate the compressor 424 (heat exchanger) to varythe cooling fluid temperature and the fan 426 to vary the volume flowrate of the cooling fluid flow in response to various degrees ofdetected increases/decreases in the volume flow rate through the vents406-410. More particularly, a look up table (not shown) may be stored inthe memory 430. By way of example, the look up table may includeinformation pertaining to the level of compressor 424 speed (heatexchanger capacity) and fan 426 output increase necessary for a detectedincrease in the volume flow rate. In this respect, the compressor 424speed (heat exchanger capacity) and the fan 426 output may be variedsubstantially incrementally in response to detected changes in thevolume flow rate. The memory 430 may be implemented as a combination ofvolatile and non-volatile memory, such as DRAM, EEPROM, flash memory,and the like.

The data center controller 422 may be interfaced with a devicecontroller and/or a data logger of a device, e.g., device controller 204and/or data logger 220 of device 202 illustrated in FIG. 2. Theinterface may be executed through a network adapter 432. The networkadapter 432 may enable communication between the data center controller422 and the device controller 204 and/or the data logger 220 of thedevice 202. In this respect, information from the data center controller422 may be transmitted to the device controller 204. In addition,information may be transmitted from the data logger 220 to the datacenter controller 422. By way of example, information related to thelocation of hot spots detected by the temperature sensors 412-416 may betransmitted to the device controller 204. Moreover, information from thedata logger 220 obtained from the sensors 206a-230 may be transmitted tothe data center controller 422. The communication between the datacenter controller 422 and the device controller 204 and/or the datalogger 220 may be effectuated by a wired protocol, such as IEEE 802.3,etc., wireless protocols, such as IEEE 801.11b, wireless serial link,Bluetooth, etc., or combinations thereof.

The data center controller 422 may also communicate with the device 202to instruct the device 202 to follow predetermined routes and/or todeviate from a planned route, for instance, to travel to a detected hotspot. Hot spots may not necessarily correspond in exact location to anygiven temperature sensor, but may be located between various temperaturesensors. Therefore, the device 202 may be instructed to travel to adetected hot spot location to detect a more accurate location of thedetected hot spot, in both latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates. Inthis respect, a relatively fewer number temperature sensors may beemployed without a substantial reduction in the effectiveness of thecooling arrangement.

In FIG. 4B, there is illustrated a block diagram 450 for a coolingsystem 402 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Theelements illustrated in the block diagram 450 operate in substantiallythe same manner as those elements illustrated in the block diagram 400.However, one difference lies in the substantially independentoperability of the data center controller 422. That is, operation of thedata center controller 422 may not be directly related to the operationof the vent controller 404. Because of the apparent similarities betweenthe block diagrams 400 and 450, only those elements necessary for athorough understanding of the block diagram 450 will be describedhereinbelow.

A pressure sensor 434 is configured to measure the pressure within thesecond chamber 348 b of the space 316 (e.g., plenum) as describedhereinabove. The pressure measurements and/or any discernable changes inthe pressure measurements obtained by the pressure sensor 434 may berelayed to the data center controller 422. In addition, a plenumtemperature sensor 436 may be configured to measure the temperature ofthe fluid within the second chamber 348 b. The temperature measurementsand/or any discernable changes in the temperature obtained by the plenumtemperature sensor may also be relayed to the data center controller422.

The data center controller 422 may manipulate the capacity of thecompressor 424 and/or heat exchanger (not shown) based upon the measuredtemperature of the cooling fluid. That is, the temperature of the fluidwithin the second chamber 348 b may be maintained at a substantiallyconstant level by manipulation of the compressor 424 (heat exchanger).Further, the output of the fan 426 may be manipulated based upon themeasured pressure of the fluid in the second chamber 348 b to vary theamount of cooling fluid supplied to space 316, to thereby substantiallymaintain the pressure of the cooling fluid within the second chamber 348b at a substantially uniform level. Thus, the data center controller 422is operable to increase the speed of the compressor 424 (capacity of theheat exchanger) and the fan 426 output, e.g., expend a greater amount ofenergy, substantially as the heat loads in the racks 318 a-318 drequires such an increase. Consequently, the compressor 424 (heatexchanger) and the fan 426 are not operated at a substantially constantenergy level and the amount of energy necessary is substantially lowerthan that of conventional cooling systems that typically operate atmaximum energy levels.

The memory 430 may also be configured to store data/informationpertaining to the control of the compressor 424 speed (heat exchangercapacity) and the output of the fan 426 corresponding to the measuredpressure with the second chamber 348 b. For example, the data centercontroller 422 may increase the compressor 424 speed (heat exchangercapacity) and fan 426 output by a relatively large amount in response toa relatively large decrease in the measured pressure. In this respect,the pressure within the second chamber 348 b may be maintained at asubstantially uniform level even when the pressures change by arelatively sharp amount.

The data center controller 422 may be interfaced with a devicecontroller and/or a data logger of a device, e.g., device controller 204and/or data logger 220 of device 202 illustrated in FIG. 2. Theinterface may be executed through a network adapter 436. The networkadapter 436 may enable communication between the data center controller422 and the device controller 204 and/or the data logger 220 of thedevice 202. In this respect, information from the data center controller422 may be transmitted to the device controller 204. In addition,information may be transmitted from the data logger 220 to the datacenter controller 422. By way of example, information related to thelocation of hot spots detected by the temperature sensors 412-416 may betransmitted to the device controller 204. Moreover, information from thedata logger 220 obtained from the sensors 206 a-230 may be transmittedto the data center controller 422. The communication between the datacenter controller 422 and the device controller 204 and/or the datalogger 220 may be effectuated by a wired protocol, such as IEEE 802.3,etc., a wireless protocol, such as IEEE 801.11b, wireless serialconnection, Bluetooth, etc., or combinations thereof.

The vent controller 404 may also communicate with the device 202 toinstruct the device 202 to follow predetermined routes and/or to deviatefrom a planned route, for instance, to travel to a detected hot spot.Hot spots may not necessarily correspond in exact location to any giventemperature sensor, but may be located between various temperaturesensors. Therefore, the device 202 may be instructed to travel to adetected hot spot location to detect the relatively accurate location ofthe detected hot spot, in both latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates.In this respect, a relatively fewer number temperature sensors may beemployed without a substantial reduction in the effectiveness of thecooling arrangement.

FIG. 5 shows a flow diagram of an operational mode 500 according to anembodiment of the invention. It should be understood that theoperational mode 500 may include additional operations and that some ofthe operations may be removed and/or modified without departing from thescope and spirit of the invention. The following description of theoperational mode 500 is made with reference to the block diagram 200illustrated in FIG. 2, and thus makes reference to the elements citedtherein.

The operations illustrated in the operational mode 500 may be containedas a utility, program, subprogram, in any desired computer accessiblemedium. In addition, the operational mode 500 may be embodied by acomputer program, which can exist in a variety of forms both active andinactive. For example, they can exist as software program(s) comprisedof program instructions in source code, object code, executable code orother formats. Any of the above can be embodied on a computer readablemedium, which include storage devices and signals, in compressed oruncompressed form.

Exemplary computer readable storage devices include conventionalcomputer system RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, and magnetic or optical disksor tapes. Exemplary computer readable signals, whether modulated using acarrier or not, are signals that a computer system hosting or runningthe computer program can be configured to access, including signalsdownloaded through the Internet or other networks. Concrete examples ofthe foregoing include distribution of the programs on a CD ROM or viaInternet download. In a sense, the Internet itself, as an abstractentity, is a computer readable medium. The same is true of computernetworks in general. It is therefore to be understood that thosefunctions enumerated below may be performed by any electronic devicecapable of executing the above-described functions.

In the operational mode 500, a route may be plotted for the device 202to follow at step 505. The route may be plotted to enable the device 202to travel through substantially all of the accessible locationsthroughout a data center. Alternatively, the route may be plotted totravel to those locations within a data center that are known to containracks having components that are in operation. For example, certaincomponents may be used at various times during a day whereas certainother components may be used at various other times during a day. Inthis respect, the device 202 may be implemented in a substantiallyoptimized manner.

The route may be devised by the device controller 204. Alternatively,the route may be devised by the data center controller 222. By way ofexample, at least one of the device controller 204 and the data centercontroller 222 may be configured to determine when certain componentswill be implemented and devise the route accordingly. The determinationmay be based upon past occurrences or it may be based upon predictionsof future usage.

At step 510, the device 202 may travel through the data center accordingto the plotted route. During travel through the data center, the device202 may be configured to vary its course if it detects certain obstaclesalong its path as described hereinabove. The device 202 may detect theseobstacles through use of the guidance sensor 214. The device 202 may beconfigured to detect at least one environmental condition, e.g.,temperature, humidity, air flow, etc., at step 515. The detection of theat least one environmental condition may be performed as the device 202travels through the data center. Alternatively, the device 202 may beconfigured to either reduce its speed or substantially stop to performthe detection.

The detection condition(s) is gathered, for example, by the data logger220, as indicated at step 520. The data logger 220 may transmit, e.g.,through the network adapter 224, the gathered information to the datacenter controller 222 at step 525. The transmission of the informationmay occur in a substantially continuous manner or it may occur atpredetermined times, e.g., after a predetermined number of conditionreadings, after a predetermined time period, etc. The data centercontroller 222 may utilize the information received from the data logger220 to control the delivery of cooling fluid to the racks (discussed ingreater detail hereinbelow).

At step 530, the device controller 204 may determine that a change incourse may be necessary. A change in course may be determined bydetection of a hot spot by the data center controller 222. By way ofexample, if the data center controller 222 detects a hot spot, e.g.,through one or more of the temperature sensors 212-216, the data centercontroller 222 instruct the device controller 204 to alter its courseand travel toward the detected hot spot. Therefore, in those instanceswhere the hot spot occurs at a location that falls, for example, betweentemperature sensors 212 and 216, the device 202 may more accuratelydetermine where the hot spot is located. The data center controller 222may then operate one or more of the vents, e.g., vents 206-210 toincrease its cooling fluid flow to substantially cool the hot spot.

If there are no hot spots, the device 202 may continue along its plottedroute as indicated at step 510. Additionally, the condition(s)detection, gathering, and transmission may continue for a predeterminedperiod of time or until such time as it is determined that a change inthe device's plotted route is required.

If the route requires alteration, e.g., a hot spot is detected, it isdetermined whether a new route is required at step 535. A new route mayunnecessary if, for example, the hot spot occurs at a location that issubstantially along the device's 202 current route and a substantiallyfaster route does not exist. If a new route is determined to benecessary, e.g., the hot spot is detected at a location that is notsubstantially in the current direction of travel, a new route may beplotted as indicated at step 540. The new route may be plotted by eitherthe device controller 204 or the data center controller 222. The newroute may be designed, for example, according to the shortest distancebetween the device's 202 current location and the location of thedetected hot spot. It should be understood, however, the new route maybe fashioned in any other reasonably suitable manner. The devicecontroller 204 may then alter the course of the device 202 to follow thenew route.

In the vicinity of the detected hot spot, the device 202 may perform theoperations listed at steps 515 and 520. Upon completion of steps 515 and520, the device 202 may return to its previous location and resume itsoriginal route or it may reprogrammed to follow another route.

FIG. 6A shows a flow diagram of an operational mode 600 according to anembodiment of the present invention. The following description of theoperational mode 600 is made with reference to the block diagram 400illustrated in FIG. 4A, and thus makes reference to the elements citedtherein. It is to be understood that the steps illustrated in theoperational mode 600 may be contained as a utility, program, subprogram,in any desired computer accessible medium. In addition, the operationalmode 600 may be embodied by a computer program, which can exist in avariety of forms both active and inactive. For example, they can existas software program(s) comprised of program instructions in source code,object code, executable code or other formats. Any of the above can beembodied on a computer readable medium, which include storage devicesand signals, in compressed or uncompressed form.

Exemplary computer readable storage devices include conventionalcomputer system RAM, ROM, EPROM , EEPROM, and magnetic or optical disksor tapes. Exemplary computer readable signals, whether modulated using acarrier or not, are signals that a computer system hosting or runningthe computer program can be configured to access, including signalsdownloaded through the Internet or other networks. Concrete examples ofthe foregoing include distribution of the programs on a CD ROM or viaInternet download. In a sense, the Internet itself, as an abstractentity, is a computer readable medium. The same is true of computernetworks in general. It is therefore to be understood that thosefunctions enumerated below may be performed by any electronic devicecapable of executing the above-described functions.

In the operational mode 600, the cooling system 402 is activated and thevents 406-410 are opened at step 602. The temperature of a component(Tc) generally corresponds to the heat load of the heat dissipatingcomponents and therefore the subsystems contained in the racks 318 a-318d. Therefore, the Tc's may be based upon the temperatures of specificheat dissipating components and subsystems. In addition, the Tc's may bebased upon the temperatures in the general vicinity of the racks and/orsections of the racks. Thus, those skilled in the art will understandthat certain embodiments of the present invention may be employed withthe temperature sensors 412-414 located at various positions throughoutthe data center. Moreover, use of the term “rack” herein generallyrefers additionally to sections of the racks and thus may notnecessarily refer to an entire rack. Thus, the use of the term “rack”throughout the present disclosure is not meant to limit certain aspectsto entire racks, but instead, is implemented to simplify the descriptionof certain embodiments of the present invention.

At step 604, the temperatures of the components (Tc's) are individuallysensed by the temperature sensors 412-416. Alternatively, the Tc's maybe anticipated in the manner described hereinabove with respect to FIG.4A.

In addition to sensing the Tc's as described above, the Tc's may bereceived from an environmental condition detecting device, e.g., device202 illustrated in FIG. 2. In this regard, the data center controller222 may receive the Tc's detected by the device 202, at step 306.Moreover, the Tc's detected by the device 202 may signify thetemperatures around the vicinity of various racks and more particularly,various components.

At step 608, it is determined whether each of the measured temperaturesare individually within a predetermined range of operating temperatures,e.g., between a maximum set point temperature (Tmax,set) and a minimumset point temperature (Tmin,set). The predetermined range of operatingtemperatures may be set according to a plurality of factors. Thesefactors may include, for example, the operating temperatures set forthby the manufacturers of the subsystems and components located in theracks, through testing to determine the optimal operating temperatures,etc. In addition, the predetermined range of operating temperatures mayvary from one subsystem to another on the basis that various subsystemsgenerally may operate effectively at various temperatures.

If it is determined that all of the Tc's are within range, the measuredand/or anticipated temperatures for those racks determined to have heatloads that fall within the predetermined range of operatingtemperatures, are sensed again at step 604. For those racks determinedto have heat loads that do not fall within the predetermined temperaturerange, i.e., fall outside of Tmin,set and Tmax,set, it is determinedwhether a hot spot is detected at step 610. The hot spot, for example,may exist when the temperature is detected to be at a predeterminedtemperature above the Tmax,set.

For those locations where hot spots are not detected, it is determinedwhether the sensed temperature equals or falls below the Tmin,set atstep 612. In general, the range of temperatures Tmin,set and Tmax,setpertains to threshold temperatures to determine whetherto increase ordecrease the flow of cooling fluid delivered to the racks. Thepredetermined temperature range may be based upon a plurality offactors, for example, a threshold operating range of temperatures thatmay be determined through testing to substantially optimize theperformance of the subsystems contained in the racks. Moreover, thepredetermined temperature range may vary for each rack because variouscomponents generally may operate effectively at various temperatures andthus various threshold temperatures may be optimal.

If the Tc's of some of the racks are below or equal to the Tmin,set, thevent controller 404 may operate to decrease the volume flow rate and/orthe velocity of cooling fluid to those racks at step 614. Thedetermination of whether to decrease either or both the volume flow rateand the velocity of the cooling fluid may be based upon the detectedtemperature of the racks. For example, if the subsystems on a bottomhalf of a rack are operating at 50 percent of maximum capacity, and thesubsystems on an upper half of the rack are operating at or near zerocapacity, the velocity of the cooling fluid may be reduced whereas thevolume flow rate may remain substantially constant. This may occur, forexample, because the cooling fluid need not travel a relatively longdistance but may still need to supply the bottom half with a sufficientamount of cooling fluid.

If the Tc's of some of the racks exceed the Tmin,set (i.e., also exceedthe Tmax,set), the vent controller 404 may operate to increase thevolume flow rate and/or the velocity of cooling fluid to those racks atstep 616. The determination of whether to increase either or both thevolume flow rate and the velocity of the cooling fluid may be based uponthe detected temperature of the racks. For example, if the subsystems onthe top half of a rack are operating at 100 percent capacity, and thesubsystems on a bottom half of the rack are operating at or near zerocapacity, the velocity and the volume flow rate of the cooling fluid mayboth be increased. This may occur, for example, because the coolingfluid must travel a relatively long distance and supply the top halfwith a sufficient amount of cooling fluid.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the decrease in volume flowrate and/or velocity of the cooling fluid flow at step 310 and theincrease in volume and/or velocity of the cooling fluid at step 614 maybe accomplished by incrementally varying the cooling fluid flow throughthe vents. An example will be made for the instance where a vent allowsa certain amount of cooling fluid to flow therethrough, and the vent ismanipulated to decrease the volume flow rate of the cooling fluid, andwhere the decrease in fluid flow is insufficient to cause the Tc forthat rack to fall within the predetermined range. In this instance,during a subsequent run through steps 604-614, the vent may becontrolled to further decrease the volume flow rate of the cooling fluidtherethrough by an incremental amount. By repeating this process anumber of times, the temperature of the rack may be substantiallybrought within the predetermined range.

At step 618, the data center controller 422 may determine whether todecrease the cooling fluid output, e.g., decrease the compressor 424speed and the fan 426 output. The determination of whether to decreasethe cooling fluid output may be made in response to the manipulationsmade to the vents 406-410 by the vent controller 404. For instance, ifthe total amount of decreases in the volume flow rates of the coolingfluid exceeds the total amount of increases in the volume flow ratesflow of the cooling fluid, the data center controller 422 may operate todecrease the cooling fluid output at step 620. Alternatively, if thetotal amount of increases in the volume flow rates of the cooling fluidexceeds the total amount of decreases, the data center controller 422may operate to increase the cooling system output, e.g., decrease thetemperature of the cooling fluid, at step 622.

In addition, the plenum temperature sensor436 may be implemented by thedata center controller 422 to determine if and how the temperature andsupply of cooling fluid should be adjusted. By way of example, if arelatively large amount of cooling fluid is being used to cool one ormore components, the temperature within the plenum 316 may increase.This increase may cause the cooling system 402 to output cooling fluidhaving a lower temperature, e.g., increase the capacity of thecompressor 424 and/or the heat exchanger.

Following steps 620 or 622, or if the increases in the volume flow ratesof the cooling fluid through the vents equals the decreases, forexample, the Tc's are sensed again at step 604. In addition, the stepsfollowing step 604 may be repeated for an indefinite period of time solong as the cooling system 402 is in operation.

It should be appreciated that the Tc's of some of the racks may fallbelow the Tmin,set, whereas the Tc's of other racks may exceed theTmax,set. Thus, it should be appreciated that steps 614 and 616 may berespectively and substantially simultaneously performed on the variousracks. It should also be appreciated that changes in cooling fluid flowthrough one or more of the vents 406-410 may affect fluid flow throughone or more of the other vents 406-410. The vent controller 404 mayoperate to compensate for these types of affects by adjusting one ormore of the affected vents.

If a hot spot is detected, at step 610, the location of the detected hotspot may be transmitted to the device, e.g., device 202, at step 624(FIG. 6B). The device 202 may travel to the location of the detected hotspot as described above with respect to FIG. 5. The device 202 may thendetect the temperature at the hot spot location as well as itssurrounding area. The information gathered by the device 202 may betransmitted to the data center controller 422 at step 626.

The data center controller 422 may process the received information anddetermine a more accurate location of the hot spot, as indicated at step628. At step 630, the data center controller 422 may then instruct oneor more vents, e.g., vent 406, to increase the volume flow rate and/orvelocity of the cooling fluid delivered to the rack(s) at the location.

FIG. 7A shows a flow diagram of an operational mode 700 according toanother embodiment of the present invention. The following descriptionof the operational mode 700 is made with reference to the block diagram450 illustrated in FIG. 4B, and thus makes reference to the elementscited therein. It is to be understood that the steps illustrated in theoperational mode 700 may be contained as a utility, program, subprogram,in any desired computer accessible medium. In addition, the operationalmode 700 may be embodied by a computer program, which can exist in avariety of forms both active and inactive. For example, they can existas software program(s) comprised of program instructions in source code,object code, executable code or other formats. Any of the above can beembodied on a computer readable medium, which include storage devicesand signals, in compressed or uncompressed form.

Exemplary computer readable storage devices include conventionalcomputer system RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, and magnetic or optical disksor tapes. Exemplary computer readable signals, whether modulated using acarrier or not, are signals that a computer system hosting or runningthe computer program can be configured to access, including signalsdownloaded through the Internet or other networks. Concrete examples ofthe foregoing include distribution of the programs on a CD ROM or viaInternet download. In a sense, the Internet itself, as an abstractentity, is a computer readable medium. The same is true of computernetworks in general. It is therefore to be understood that thosefunctions enumerated below may be performed by any electronic devicecapable of executing the above-described functions.

In the operational mode 700, steps 702-716 and 728-734 respectivelycorrespond to steps 602-616 and 624-630 recited hereinabove with respectto the operational mode 600 illustrated in FIG. 6A and 6B. Therefore, adetailed description of steps 702-716 and 728-734 will not be madeherein. Instead, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognizethat the description made hereinabove with respect to steps 602-616 and624-630 has general applicability to steps 702-716 and 728-734 and maythus be used interchangeably.

Therefore, beginning at step 718, the pressure of the cooling fluidsupplying the vents 406-410 may be measured by a pressure sensor 432.The measured pressure may be relayed to the data center controller 422.The data center controller 422 may determine whether the measuredpressure is within a predetermined pressure range, e.g., a predeterminedminimum set point pressure (Pmin,set) and a predetermined maximum setpoint pressure (Pmax,set), at step 720. The predetermined pressure rangemay be set according to a maximum desired volume flow rate and/orvelocity of the cooling fluid to be ejected through the vents 406-410.In addition, the predetermined pressure range may be the substantialoptimum operating pressure desired for controlling the flow of coolingfluid through the vents. If the measured pressure is within thepredetermined pressure range, the data center controller 422 may repeatstep 718.

If the measured pressure is not within the predetermined pressure range,it is determined whether the measured pressure (P) is below or equal toa minimum pressure set point (Pmin,set) at step 722. In general, thepredetermined pressure range pertains to the threshold pressures todetermine whether to increase or decrease the supply of fluid, e.g., inthe second chamber 348 b. The predetermined pressure range may be basedupon a plurality of factors, for example, a threshold operating pressureor range of pressures that may be determined through testing tosubstantially optimize the performance of the cooling fluid outputthrough the vents 406-410.

It should be understood that the predetermined pressure set point mayvary depending upon one or more factors. By way of example, thepredetermined pressure set point may be reduced if the total load on thedata center, or a section of the data center decreases such that atleast some of the vents, e.g., vents 406-410, are operatingsubstantially at their lowest setting, the predetermined pressure setpoint may be reduced for a sensor, e.g., sensor 412, that affectsoperation of the cooling system 402 in the area of these vents.

If the P is determined to be below or equal to the Pmin,set, the datacenter controller 422 may operate to increase the cooling fluid output,e.g., by increasing the compressor capacity and/or the fan output, atstep 724. Otherwise, if the P is determined to exceed the Pmin,set, andthereby exceed the Pmax,set, the data center controller 422 may operateto decrease cooling fluid output, e.g., by decreasing the compressorcapacity and/or the fan output, at step 726.

Following steps 724 or 726, the data center controller 422 may repeatstep 718. In addition, the steps following step 718 may be repeated foran indefinite period of time so long as the cooling system 202 is inoperation.

FIG. 8 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the present invention. Asshown in FIG. 8, the data center 800 includes a cooling system 802configured to supply cooling fluid, e.g., air through a space 806 (e.g.,plenum) located above a lowered ceiling 804. This embodiment operates ina similar manner to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3. One differencebetween the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8 and the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 3 is that the cooling fluid is supplied from alocation above the racks 318 a-318 d. It should be understood that thevents 806 a-806 c operate to supply cooling fluid to the racks 318 a-318d in much the same manner as that described hereinabove with respect toFIG. 3. Therefore, the description set forth hereinabove with respect tothe above-described embodiments are relied upon to provide a descriptionof the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8.

Although not specifically illustrated in FIG. 8, it is within thepurview of certain embodiments of the invention that the vents 408 a-408c may be provided at any reasonably suitable location within the datacenter 800. By way of example, one or more vents 408 a-408 c may beprovided on the lowered ceiling 348 b with one or more of the vents 408a-408 c being provided on a raised floor, e.g., 314 (FIG. 3). Inaddition, one or more vents 408 a-408 c may be provided along one ormore walls of the data center. Therefore, the vents 408 a-408 c and thecooling fluid delivered therefrom may be arranged in a variety ofdifferent combinations. The different combinations of placements may beselected according to desired air flow pattems, cost, coolingrequirements, and like considerations.

In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, the coolingrequirements within a data center may be analyzed to substantiallyoptimize the layout of the racks within the data center. In one respect,the substantial optimization of the rack layout in the data center mayenable the cooling system of the data center to operate at generallylower energy and greater efficiency levels by virtue of the reducedworkload placed on the components of the cooling systems, e.g.,compressors, fans, etc. The cooling requirements within the data centermay be analyzed by operation of any reasonably suitable commerciallyavailable computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tool, e.g., FLOVENT, a 3-Dmodeling software capable of predicting temperature variations basedupon fluid flows. By virtue of the numerical modeling, various airconditioning units as well as the vents described hereinabove may bepositioned throughout the data center to substantially control themanner in which the racks receive the cooling fluid.

In addition, the air conditioning units may also be positioned tosubstantially maximize and optimize their performances, e.g., to preventone or more of the air conditioning units from being overworked.

In determining the cooling fluid distribution requirement within thedata center, each of the racks may be assigned a heat load which maycorrespond to a maximum heat load predicted for that rack, e.g., throughanticipated power draw. For example, a rack containing 40 subsystems,e.g., computers, may have a maximum heat load of 10 KW and a rackcontaining 20 subsystems may have a maximum heat load of 5 KW. Byimplementing the CFD in this manner, for example in a data centercontaining 100 racks and four air conditioning units, racks having apotential for relatively larger heat loads may be relatively separatelylocated throughout the data center. In one respect, therefore, the airconditioning units within the data center may be operated atsubstantially less than maximum power levels and the racks may receivesufficient amounts of cooling fluid. More specifically, the powerrequired to operate the air conditioning units may be regulated toefficiently cool the fluid supplied to the racks by providingsubstantially only that amount of cooling fluid necessary to maintainthe racks within normal operating temperatures.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, aCFD tool may be implemented substantially continuously with theembodiments described hereinabove. More specifically, the CFD tool maybe utilized to substantially continuously vary the operation of thecooling system to operate according to the heat loads generated in theracks. In this regard, the anticipated or actual heat loads (e.g., basedupon the power draw of the components) on the racks may be inputted intothe CFD tool, along with one or more of the following properties:velocity of the cooling fluid flowing through various sections of thedata center and the distribution of temperature and pressure of thecooling fluid in the data center, to determine an optimal manner inwhich the air conditioning units may be operated as well as the flow ofthe cooling fluid through the vents to adequately cool the racks basedupon an analysis of the data center layout and the heat loads. Thevelocity of the air flow as well as other atmospheric conditions atvarious locations within the data center may be sensed by anenvironmental detection device, e.g., device 202. The sensed conditionsmay be transmitted or otherwise relayed to the CFD tool to enable thetool to perform the necessary calculations.

The CFD tool may be implemented to produce a numerical model of the datacenter to thus determine an optimized cooling distribution within thedata center. A correlation of one or more of the following properties:velocity of the cooling fluid flowing through various sections of thedata center, distribution of temperature and pressure of the coolingfluid in the data center, and the power draw into the racks, may becreated based on the numerical modeling. The correlation may be used toinfer thermal conditions throughout the data center when only a minimumnumber of sensors are available during operation of the cooling system.The device 202 may also be implemented to verify the thermal conditionsdepicted by the CFD tool. In addition, the correlation may substantiallyreduce the amount of time required for the CFD tool to perform thecomputing operations.

Thus, for example, with respect to FIG. 6A, at step 616, a numericalmodel may be created to analyze a substantially optimal manner in whichthe volume flow and/or the velocity of the cooling fluid may beincreased while considering the effects of fluid flow from other racks.In this respect, based upon the analysis, the vent supplying that rackwith cooling fluid and/or another vent may be caused to vary the volumeflow and/or velocity of the cooling fluid. In addition, at step 618, thenumerical model may be created to determine whether the cooling systemoutput should be decreased based upon the heat loads and the fluid flowthroughout the data center. For example, if it is determined that a rackwith an increasing heat load may receive a sufficient amount of coolingfluid by receiving cooling fluid from a vent generally away therefrom,the cooling system output may not be increased. Thus, by implementationof the CFD tool to generally analyze the fluid flow characteristics andthe temperatures of the racks, the amount of energy required tosufficiently cool the racks in the data center may be substantiallyoptimized.

By virtue of certain embodiments of the present invention, one ofordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the amount ofenergy, and thus the costs associated with cooling the racks locatedwithin a data center may be substantially reduced. In one respect, byoperating the cooling system to supply cooling fluid substantially onlyas needed by the racks, the cooling system may be operated at arelatively more efficient manner as compared to conventional coolingsystems.

What has been described and illustrated herein is a preferred embodimentof the invention along with some of its variations. The terms,descriptions and figures used herein are set forth by way ofillustration only and are not meant as limitations. Those skilled in theart will recognize that many variations are possible within the spiritand scope of the invention, which is intended to be defined by thefollowing claims—and their equivalents—in which all terms are meant intheir broadest reasonable sense unless otherwise indicated.

1.-46. (canceled)
 47. A device comprising: a cooling apparatus; a fluidsupply apparatus; a controller configured to separately operate thecooling apparatus and the fluid supply apparatus to at least one of varya temperature and a volume flow rate of cooling fluid supplied by thedevice.
 48. The decvice according to claim 47, wherein the controller isfurther configured to receive information representing at least oneenvironmental condition, and wherein the controller is configured toseparately operate at least one of the cooling apparatus and the fluidsupply apparatus based upon the received information.
 49. The deviceaccording to claim 48, wherein the at least one environmental conditionis determined from sensor data representing at least one of an inlet, anoutlet, and interior of a coolant flow path.
 50. The device according toclaim 48, wherein the at least one environmental condition is determinedfrom cooling fluid flow supplied through a vent.
 51. The deviceaccording to claim 48, wherein the controller is further configured todetermine the existence of one or more areas of maldistribution ofcooling resources based upon the at least one environmntal condition andwherein the controller is further configured to operate at least one ofthe cooling apparatus and the fluid supply apparatus to at least reducecooling resource maldistribution in the one or more areas of coolingresource maldistribution.
 52. The device according to claim 47, saiddevice comprising one of a computer room air conditioning unit, acompressor-type air conditioning unit, a chiller-type air conditioningunit, and a heat exchanger.
 53. The device according to claim 47,wherein the controller is further configured to receive informationrepresenting an impending load on at least one electronic componentwhich the device is configured to cool, and wherein the controller isconfigured to separately operate at least one of the cooling apparatusand the fluid supply apparatus based upon the received information. 54.The device according to claim 47, wherein the fluid is air, and whereinthe controller is configured to separately operate the cooling apparatusand the fluid supply apparatus to at least one of vary a temperature anda volume flow rate of air supplied by the device.
 55. A method ofcontrolling a device, said method comprising: separately controlling acooling apparatus and a fluid supply apparatus of the device, whereinthe cooling apparatus is configured to vary a temperature of coolingfluid and wherein the fluid supply apparatus is configured to varyvolume flow rate of cooling fluid supplied by the device.
 56. The methodaccording to claim 55, further comprising: receiving at least one input,wherein separately controlling the cooling apparatus and the fluidsupply apparatus further comprises separately controlling the coolingapparatus and the fluid supply apparatus based upon the at least oneinput.
 57. The method according to claim 56, the method being adaptedfor use with at least one sensor, wherein the step of receiving at leastone input further comprises receiving information representing at leastone sensor.
 58. The method according to claim 57, further comprising:processing the received information to detect one or more areas ofcooling resource maldistribution; and wherein separately controlling thecooling apparatus and the fluid supply apparatus further comprisescontrolling at least one of the cooling apparatus and the fluid supplyapparatus to substantially reduce the one or more areas of coolingresource maldistribution.
 59. The method according to claim 56, themethod being adapted for use with at least one sensor positioned todetect at least one condition of cooling fluid flow at one or more of aninlet, an outlet, and interior of a fluid flow path, wherein: the stepof receiving at least one input further comprises receiving informationrepresenting at least one sensor; and said method further comprisesseparately controlling the cooling apparatus and the fluid supplyapparatus in dependence upon the received information.
 60. The methodaccording to claim 56, the method being adapted for use with at leastone sensor positioned to detect at least one condition of cooling fluidflow supplied through a vent configured to supply at least oneelectronic component with the cooling fluid, wherein: the step ofreceiving at least one input farther comprises receiving informationrepresenting at least one sensor, and, said method further comprisesseparately controlling the cooling apparatus and the fluid supplyapparatus in dependence upon the received information.
 61. The methodaccording to claim 56, adapted for use where the at least one inputrepresents information representing an impending load on at least oneelectronic component which the device is configured to cool, said methodfurther comprising: separately controlling the cooling apparatus and thefluid supply apparatus in dependence upon the received information. 62.The method according to claim 55, adapted for use where the fluid isair, said method further comprising separately controlling coolingtemperature and air flow rate.
 63. The method according to claim 61, themethod being adapted for use with at least one sensor, wherein the stepof receiving at least one input further comprises receivingenvironmental information representing at least one sensors and whereinthe step of separately controlling the cooling apparatus and the fluidsupply apparatus for comprises separately controlling the coolingapparatus and the fluid supply apparatus in dependence upon both theinformation representing the impending load and the environmentalinformation.
 64. A method for determining a substantially optimizedcooling resource distribution in a room, said method comprising:inputting a layout of a room into a numerical modeling program;implementing the numerical modeling program to calculate a distributionof cooling resources in the room; and determining at least one of amodified cooling resource distribution scheme and a modified layout tosubstantially optimize cooling resource distribution in the room. 65.The method according to claim 64, wherein implementing the numericalmodeling program further comprises implementing the numerical modelingprogram to determine one or more areas of cooling resourcemaldistribution, and wherein determining at least one of a modifiedcooling resource distribution and a modified layout further comprisesdetermining at least one of a modified cooling resource distribution anda modified layout that at least reduces the one or more areas ofmaldistribution, to thereby substantially optimize cooling resourcedistribution in the room.
 66. A system comprising: a computing device;and a plurality of sensors positioned at various locations; saidcomputing device being operatively coupled to the plurality of sensorsto receive therefrom information representing at least one condition.67. The system according to claim 66, wherein the computing device isfurther configured to at least one of create and update a database entryusing the information.
 68. The system according to claim 66, wherein thecomputing device is configured to control a cooling system based upon adetected condition determined from the information.
 69. The systemaccording to claim 66, wherein the computing device is configured tocontrol a vent based upon a detected condition determined from theinformation.
 70. The system according to claim 66, wherein said systemdetects a condition from the information including one or more oftemperature, pressure, humidity, cooling fluid velocity, and coolingfluid flow rate.
 71. The system according to claim 66, wherein at leastone of the plurality of sensors is positioned to detect at least onecondition of a cooling fluid flow path.
 72. The system according toclaim 66, wherein at least one of the plurality of sensors is positionedto detect at least one condition of cooling fluid flow at one or more ofan inlet, an outlet, and an interior of a cooling fluid flow path. 73.The system according to claim 66, wherein the controller is furtherconfigured to determine the existence of one or more areas ofmaldistribution of cooling resources based upon the information.
 74. Thesystem according to claim 66, wherein at least one of the plurality ofsensors is positioned to detect at least one condition of cooling fluidflow supplied through a vent.